by Kristina Kuhaupt, Customer Experience Manager
I want to wish you a Happy New(ish) Year! Although January has now come to an end, and potential New Year resolutions have been thought about or maybe tried on for size or even attempted, I want to encourage you on your continued wellness journey with your local Co-op throughout the entire 2024 calendar year.
Many years ago, I walked into Willy West on a whim during this same type of journey. I was tired of eating unbalanced meals and was looking for something to help me be more consistent, rather than year after year making a goal, following it for a couple of early months in the year, and then dropping off as the stress of my daily schedule kept increasing. Well, needless to say, the Co-op did me right! I was able to find healthier lunch options, while I guzzled down my vitamins with a freshly squeezed juice in our common space day after day. This consistency created a habit that turned into a momentum for positive yearly change. Little did I know at the time, but what I was experiencing was Cooperative Principle #5 (access to Education, Training, Information) in action. Better lunch options turned into a gradual curiosity for what makes a cooperative way of buying groceries not only good for the community at large but for me personally. There were so many informational, financial, and educational resources throughout the store that helped change the trajectory of how I looked at and bought food on a weekly basis.
This personal experience is a small example of one version of what wellness can look like, but there are many forms, and the Co-op is here to help. If this intrigues you, feel free to check out more examples of how Co-op offerings could make a difference in your own personal wellness journey found at willystreet.coop/find-your-wellness. It just might be the catalyst that propels your goals to tangible, sustainable change.
Double Dollars and Pantries of Plenty Results
Throughout November and December, you helped us raise $12,381 for Double Dollars. Thank you for your generous support during this holiday season! We said that when you contributed to the Double Dollars Fund, we would do a 1:1 match up to $10,000 using abandoned Owner equity to support our neighborhood pantry partners: Goodman Community Center Fritz Food Pantry, Lussier Community Education Center, WayForward Resources, The River Food Pantry, and Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center. You met our match with cash donations and savings due to your reuse of bags! Thanks to you, each food pantry will receive funds to use on fresh items that are harder to come by in the winter season. We appreciate your support of the Double Dollars program and our neighborhood pantries. This means that a total of $22,381 has been put into our local giving economy to help support those who are food insecure and looking to prioritize nutrition during these long winter months.
As a reminder, Double Dollars is a nutrition incentive program to help those using FoodShare/QUEST purchase fresh or frozen fruits, vegetables, legumes, and seeds and seedlings for growing edible plants. The Double Dollars season runs from mid-October to May at the Co-op, and June to November at participating farmers’ markets. The Double Dollars Fund, with your cash donations and bag reuse combined, has provided over $417,600 to the program since April 2017.
The Double Dollars match benefiting our food pantry partners is made possible through abandoned and donated Owner equity. When Owners leave the Co-op, their equity invested belongs to them and they are given the option to have their equity refunded or donated to use for charitable purposes such as this match and the Community Reinvestment Fund grants. Thank you to all for leaving a footprint of charitable legacy that helps positively impact your community one donation at a time, and adds up to create lasting powerful change year after year!
Holiday Giving Update
During this season of giving, you helped contribute to Madison Reading Project to help distribute thousands of books this holiday season to local Dane County children. Thank you to everyone who either dropped off a book(s) at our stores or financially contributed via their QR code! If you are still interested in donating, please see madisonreadingproject.com. Additionally, you were able to help contribute collectively 623 items of winter gear to Middleton area residents this holiday season through the City of Middleton’s Keeping Neighbors Warm collection drive. Lastly, this year we were able to bring back Santas Without Chimneys. Thank you for helping make hundreds of children smile this season! If you would like more information on this nonprofit organization, please visit santaswithoutchimneys.org.
Finally, throughout the entire year, you helped CHIP® at our registers, with a 1% donation of your total grocery bill, helping support Community Shares of Wisconsin. In the 2023 calendar year, you helped raise $320,131 for 70 nonprofits that bring awareness and change for local social and environmental justice. Thank you for your generosity for all Co-op supported programs this year; it is truly heartwarming and appreciated!
As a reminder during this upcoming tax season, we encourage you to request your donation summary from our Customer Service desk staff at each of our stores. Thank you to our loyal Owners for year after year embodying what it means to fulfill Principle #7 (Care and Concern for the Community)!
Reminder: Access Program Renewals Due March 31
The Access Program is an Owner benefit available to those with a financial need and offers a 10% discount on your purchases as well as a longer time period to pay any outstanding Owner equity ($4 per year for Individual Owners; $7 per year for Household Owners). Additionally, you will receive one free class per year. When you enroll in the Access Program, the benefit is available throughout the calendar year. If you still have a financial need at the end of the year, you must renew by March 31 in order to continue receiving the benefit. Current Access Program participants will receive reminders in mid-February, and those who have not renewed by mid-March will receive a second reminder. To protect the privacy of our Owners, we do not provide renewal reminders at the registers.
Applying for the Access Program is quick and easy at the Customer Service desk, and you do not need to bring any special information with you. Following completion of a simple form, you will sign that you agree to the terms of service. You may qualify if you are receiving support from:
- FoodShare/QUEST Program (SNAP)
- Medicaid (BadgerCare/Senior Care)
- Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
- Section 8 Housing Assistance/Community Development Authority (HUD)
- Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- FairShare CSA Coalition Partner Shares
- Free or Reduced School Lunch and Breakfast Program
- Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidy Program
- Wisconsin Works
- Heat for Heroes
- Early Head Start/Head Start
You may also qualify to enroll in the Access Program if your annual gross income within the last year has been at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guideline (FPG). FPG charts are available on the Access Program form.
The Access Program is supported by our annual sales income, and currently, that equates to .55% of our sales. In FY2023 the Co-op distributed $346,084 in discounts via the program to 1,549 Owners, which was a .04% increase over last year. To learn more about our Access Program, please visit our website under the Ownership tab. Questions about Access Program renewal or enrollment can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
As a reminder, there will be no updates from the Access Program Renewal Committee this year since this committee functions in two-year cycles. If you were interested in the work done last cycle, please read the July 2023 Customer Experience piece, found at willystreet.coop/july-2023/2023-access-discount-review-committee-update.